Perfluorosebacic acid



Patented Aug. 6 5, 1952 UNITED sm'rss PATENT OFFICE Richard alignor.

to Minnesota Mining a Manufacturing Com-. pany, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Delaware , 1 Claim. (01. 260-637) This invention relates to my discovery of a new and useful dicarboxylic fluorocarbon acid, namely. perfluorosebacic acid (hexadecafluorm sebacic acid), having the formula:

which can be abreviated as (CF2)0(COOH)=.

While several lower dicarboxylic fluorocarbon acids have been previously reported, they were made by special methods and prior workers were unable to discover and characterize the present acid so far as I am aware (cf. U. S. Patents Nos. 2,426,224 2,438,484 2,438,485 2,453,146 2,453.147). v

This new reactive fluorocarbon compound has particular value for making highly-fluorinated long-chain derivatives owing to the large number of carbon atoms in the fully fluorinated straight chain difunctional molecule. Nonflammable solid polymers containing over 50% by weight of combined fluorine can be made using this acid as the only source of fluorine.

I have discovered that it is possible to make this acid by electrochemically fluorinatlng the corresponding acid of the hydrocarbon system, sebacic acid, (CH2)0(COOH)2.

Sebacic acid is dissolved in anhydrous liquid hydrogen fluoride and electrolyzed in a nickelanode cell to accomplish fluorination, resulting in replacement by fluorine atoms of the sixteen carbon-bonded hydrogen atoms and the two hydroxyl groups of the acid molecule, yielding the acid difluoride. perfluorosebacyl difluoride, (CF'c) 0(COF) 2. There is simultaneously formed in the cell the monocarboxylic monofluoride, perfluoropelargonyl fluoride, CF:(CF2) 7COF, as the result of partial decarboxylation. Liquid fluorocarbons (carbon fluorides) are also formed as the result of complete decarboxylation and fragmentation. These fluorinated products are insoluble and settle to the bottom of the cell. This mixture is drained from the cell and is latter. and extract with hot benzenev to'remove the perfluoropelargonic acid from the perfluorosebacic'acid.

The equipment and procedures used in the electrochemical process have been described in the patent of J. H. Sin-ions, No. 2,519,983 (August 22, 1950). Using a nickel-anode cell, I have employed a 4% solution of sebacic acid in anhydrous liquid hydrogen fluoride as the electrolyte solution, an applied cell voltage of approximately 5.5 to 6 volts (D. 0.), and a cell temperature of about 20 0., in the-making of the present acid. The fully fluorinated products of electrolysis are insoluble in the liquid hydrogen fluoride and settle to the bottom ofthe cell. The mixtureis drained from the cell and processed as described above for recovery of the perfluorosebacic acid.

It might have been supposed that a recognizable yield of the perfluorosebacyl dii'iuoride would not be obtained owing to the long length of the hydrocarbon chain in the starting acid, this chain being joined at each end to a carboxyl ro p; causing fragmentation and also eliminating one or both of the carboxyl groups from the molecules, leading only to a complex mixture of fluorocarbons and monocarboxylic acid fluorides. While such action does take place to some extent,

resulting in the by-products noted above, I have discovered that a useful yield of the perfluorosebacyl difiuoride is also obtained, which can bev carbon-fluorine bonds, carbonyl groups and hytreated at ice-bath temperature with a small excess of water (causing rapid hydrolysis of the acid fluorides), yielding a mixture of perfluorosebacic acid. perfluoropelargonic acid, liquid fluorocarbons and a water phase. The acids are solids and are insoluble in the water and the fluorocarbons at temperatures near 0 C. and below. The acids are filtered from the mixture and dried. They can be separated from each other by use of a selective solvent procedure.

A satisfactory procedureis to heat the crude acid mixture in carbon tetrachloride, cool to crystallize out the acid mixture, filter out the droxyl bonds, and the absence. of carbon-hydrogen bonds.

The acid is soluble in alcohol and ether; and it is insoluble in cold carbon tetrachloride and in benzene and other hydrocarbons. It is only slightly soluble in water at room temperature. The solubility at 25 C. is about 16 grams per liter of water. This acid has a striking eifect on the surface tension of aqueous solutions, reducing the value at 25 -(J. from 72 dynes/cm. (pure water) to 21 dynes/cm., this minimum value being obtained at a concentration of 1.5 weight per cent. It is a much stronger acid than the general carbon-carbon bond cleavage 3 non-iiuorinatedsebacio tivescanhemadewhicharehydrolysabletoreform the acid, such as the anhydrides. acid. -halides. amides. nitriles. alkyl esters and salts.

. Diethyi perfluorosebai'a'te, wmucoocimh, canbeprepared by esteriiyinythe acid with ethyl alcohol. using a toluene-alcohol-water aseotropic distillation procedure. It is a liquid boilins at about 156-152 C. at 2'! mm. and has a density of 1.592 grams/c. c. at 25' C. and a refractive index oi 1.241 at 26' C.

Periiuorosebacamide, (CIMACONEM, can be prepared by reaoflns this ester with anhydrous ammonia in the presence of ether. This diamide is a white solid meitins at about 233' C. (uncorrected).

The esters of the acid react with diamines to term poiyamide types oi polymers. The acid reacts with polyhydric alcohols to form polyester types oi polymers.

l'iuoro-alkyd synthetic resins can be made by resctins the acid with :lycerine and with glycols. Thus in one experiment an equimolar mixture 01 theacidandethyleneslycolwasplacedinaiiask titted with a capillary for passing nitrogen through the reaction mixture to remove water as iormed. The flask was heated by a bath maintained at about 125' C. for 22 hours, while passin: a slow stream oi dry oxygen-tree nitrogen acid oi the mummies system of oryanic compounds. Various deriva-.

through the liquid mixture at atmospheric pressure. ii'hen the pressure was reduced to 0.1 mm. and the temperature was :raduaily raised to 150' C. during a half hour period. Heatinz was continued under vacuum for 4% hours. The

'product was a liaht-tan waxy solid havingv a melting point 01 129-133 C. It contains 50% by weight 01 combined Marine and is noniiammable, water-repellent, and insoluble in hydrocarbons and common orsanic solvents.

Iclaim:

As a new and useful reactive fluorocarbon compound, periiuorosebacic acid. having the formula (015)0(C0O1Ih.

RICHARD A. GUENTHNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the me 01 this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,438,484 Henne Mar. '23, 1948 2,453,148 McBee et a1 Nov. 9, 1948 2,502,478 Padbury et a1. Apr. 4, 1950 .O'I'HERREFERENCES Gehring: Compt. rend. (Pr. Acad. Sci), vol. 104, p. 1825 (1887). 

